


Something's Wrong

by DarkMidniteMage



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 16:10:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14897789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMidniteMage/pseuds/DarkMidniteMage
Summary: Neku knows that something is wrong. Wrong with Shibuya......and wrong with Joshua.





	Something's Wrong

 

Neku knew it, knew that something was wrong.

 

When Joshua thought that he was fully asleep at the end of the day, Neku wasn't. He heard the hisses of pain, the crying, the murmurs about how he wasn't worth anything.

 

He didn't say anything.

 

He couldn't.

 

Neku knew that something was wrong, but he didn't say anything.

 

It had been months after the long Game, months that he'd been waiting.

 

Something about Shibuya felt... wrong. It felt the same way it did before the Game, before he'd learned what it was like to have friends again, before he hadn't shot Joshua.

 

The Music was wrong.

 

And Neku was afraid.

 

Neku's first warning sign was when Hanekoma didn't know where Joshua was.

 

"He's been gone for a few days. Hasn't called, hasn't checked in."

 

Neku was silent for a few moments, taking this information in. He pressed down the information, holding on to it as he quietly spoke up.

 

"You feel it too... don't you?"

 

Hanekoma looked up from the mug he was cleaning, looking to Neku as if unsure what he meant.

 

"Shibuya isn't... It isn't the same. Something's wrong."

 

Hanekoma sighed, setting the mug down on the countertop as he looked to Neku. His expression was unreadable as he tiredly ran a hand through his hair.

 

"I do. I do feel it, Neku."

 

The tone that Mr. H had used at the time sent a small shiver through Neku. He'd used Neku's real name.

 

Something was wrong.

 

Neku's mind was made up as he left WildKat. His footsteps echoed along the oddly silent streets, another indicator that something was going horribly, horribly wrong. It seemed like darkness was creeping in from every corner as he searched for his Composer. His headphones, once on, were slipped down around his neck, fading out the sounds of the music he wasn't really listening to.

 

He'd reached his destination in only minutes.

 

The Music he searched for, yearned for, was faint.

 

That was the third warning.

 

Neku wasted no time in tearing past the Noise guarded barrier. His feet carried him quickly forwards, running along the corridor and through the Trail of the Sinner. His mind was in a frenzied mess.

 

Is Joshua okay? How would he respond? What's wrong with him?

 

...Was he going to be ready for what he would see?

 

He passed through into the Rubicon. He almost stopped short when he felt that the Music he was following was barely there.

 

Adrenaline struck through his veins, pushing him further and further to go faster, to make it before it was too late.

 

Too late for what, Neku didn't know.

 

He slammed through into the Dead God's Pad in under a minute, and it was less than a minute more before he burst through the doors of the Room of Reckoning.

 

Time seemed to freeze. He was shaking, gasping for air as he cried out for the person whose pale skin contrasted against the brown strands that suspended him.

 

Neku forced himself to move, his hands yanking down the rope the second he reached his blonde friend. The second Joshua was free from the rope chafing his neck, a set of arms pulled him close. Neku's arms loosely held Joshua close to his chest as he untied the noose, then used his pyrokinesis pin to burn the rope as he tossed it as far away as he could.

 

He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready for this.

 

His heart hammered against his ribcage as Neku tried to catch his breath between the anxiety and the fear that clung to him.

 

"P-please... please wake up... Wake up, Josh..."

Neku pushed back the tears threatening to spill as Joshua didn't respond. His eyes trailed everywhere they could see as he looked for some sign that he was still here, that he hadn't lost his friend.

A small noise of relief as he noticed that Joshua was still breathing. Some distant part of him told him that he should lift Joshua up and make sure that his upper body and head were elevated, and he followed the command. 

The rope was nothing but a pile of ashes on the floor as Neku's hands lifted up Joshua's head so his airway would be more open. Neku looked over to the rope, his mind in a haze as he tried to understand. He'd known, known for the longest time, that something wasn't right with Joshua. Why he would do this was beyond Neku's understanding. Why would he...

Neku's thoughts trailed off, hearing a small noise. Neku almost immediately turned back to Joshua, half lidded violet eyes staring blankly forwards. The two were silent for a minute. Neku resisted the urge to reach out and touch Joshua. He knew that Joshua didn't like being touched sometimes.

Neku couldn't stop himself from reaching out and brushing away the glistening droplets that formed on the corners of Joshua's eyes.

Joshua shot up at the touch, pushing himself backwards and away from Neku's outstretched hands. His eyes were wild, scared as if Neku were a wild animal that would attack him. Neku drew back, his expression falling slightly at Joshua's fear.

A spark of recognition moved through Joshua's eyes as he realized something. His expression fell neutral, his lips pressed into a firm frown.

 

"...Why?"

 

The whisper was almost inaudible as Joshua spoke.

 

"...why did you..."

 

Joshua trailed off, glancing away.

 

"No, why did _**you**_?"

 

The reversal of the statement somehow struck Joshua as funny, as he laughed lightly.

 

"I... I asked first."

 

"And I asked second."

 

Suddenly, the serious topic was lost in their laughter as they both realized how childish they were being.

 

The question was simple enough.

 

Neku's laughter fell away as he sighed, remembering why he was here.

 

"Shibuya was screaming at me that something... wasn't right. I knew something wasn't right with you. I knew, but I didn't know it was this bad, and when I came here to try and find you and try and help you and I saw you h-hanging there I-I j-just-"

 

Neku took a deep breath, trying and failing to push back tears that were spilling down.

 

"...I don't want to lose you."

 

Joshua was silent. Neku didn't look up as he tried to stop the tears and the small whimpers that didn't seem to want to stop spilling out.

 

"...Why would you be afraid to lose me?"

 

His tone was hollow. Neku looked up, seeing a small, hollow smile on his lips that didn't belong there, didn't belong on his friend and certainly didn't belong to this situation.

 

"Why would you be afraid to lose me when I hurt you so many times? I'm a horrible person." Joshua laughed humorlessly, his smile falling flat. "I killed you. Twice. I keep messing up. I hurt you. I hurt your friends. I tried to give you a happy ending, but I screwed that up too. I-"

 

Against what he knew Joshua would want, Neku lunged for Joshua. His arms wrapped around him, his embrace silencing the other teen's self hatred.

 

Joshua's arms remained splayed against the floor for a few moments, his head swimming with unanswered questions.

 

_Why?_

 

_Why was Neku still here?_

_Why was Neku still trying to help him?_

 

_Why... Why did Neku stop him, after everything that Joshua had done to him?_

 

Joshua felt tears prick at his eyes, and before he could stop them they fell.

His entire life, he'd done nothing but push everyone away. He'd been hurt in the past. He didn't want to be hurt again, so he pushed them away, or he hurt them before they could hurt him. He'd pressed himself into a tiny box, locked away from everyone else so that they couldn't hurt him, couldn't get in and see that he was still just a scared child, running away from his problems. Everyone else left him alone, just like he'd wanted.

 

Not Neku.

 

Neku had grabbed ahold of him, held him close, and not let go. Joshua had shot him. Shot him twice, actually, and yet Neku still stuck around.

Against his better judgement, Joshua's arms lifted, wrapping around Neku. Neku was the only one who pushed back, who still tried to break into the box even though it was locked from the inside...

Joshua heard Neku speak, a small whisper that was soft but dug into Joshua like a knife.

 

"You're not leaving me. Not this time... Not ever."


End file.
